Tue Apr 1
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| 09:30 GMT | 15:30 Local 14:30 PKT | Bangladesh v Australia at Dhaka, World T20 | |
| 09:30 GMT | 15:30 Local 14:30 PKT | Bangladesh Women v Sri Lanka Women at Sylhet, Women's World T20 | |
| 13:30 GMT | 19:30 Local 18:30 PKT | Pakistan v West Indies at Dhaka, World T20 | |
| 13:30 GMT | 19:30 Local 18:30 PKT | India Women v West Indies Women at Sylhet, Women's World T20 | |
Wed Apr 2
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| 09:30 GMT | 15:30 Local 14:30 PKT | New Zealand Women v TBC at Sylhet, Women's World T20 | |
| 13:30 GMT | 19:30 Local 18:30 PKT | Pakistan Women v TBC at Sylhet, Women's World T20 | |
Thu Apr 3
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| 08:30 GMT | 14:30 Local 13:30 PKT | Australia Women v TBC at Dhaka, Women's World T20, 1st Semi-Final | |
| 09:30 GMT | 15:30 Local 14:30 PKT | TBC v TBC at Sylhet, Women's World T20 | |
| 13:00 GMT | 19:00 Local 18:00 PKT | Sri Lanka v TBC at Dhaka, World T20, 1st Semi-Final | |
| 13:30 GMT | 19:30 Local 18:30 PKT | Ireland Women v TBC at Sylhet, Women's World T20 | |
Fri Apr 4
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| 08:30 GMT | 14:30 Local 13:30 PKT | South Africa Women v TBC at Dhaka, Women's World T20, 2nd Semi-Final | |
| 13:00 GMT | 19:00 Local 18:00 PKT | India v South Africa at Dhaka, World T20, 2nd Semi-Final | |
Sun Apr 6
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| 08:30 GMT | 14:30 Local 13:30 PKT | TBC v TBC at Dhaka, Women's World T20, Final | |
| 13:00 GMT | 19:00 Local 18:00 PKT | TBC v TBC at Dhaka, World T20, Final | |
Monday, March 31, 2014
April 2014 - Schedules
Injured Mashrafe out of Australia game
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Related Links
Players/Officials: Mashrafe Mortaza
Matches: Bangladesh v Australia at Dhaka
Series/Tournaments: World T20
Teams: Bangladesh
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Bangladesh fast bowler Mashrafe Mortaza has been ruled out of the side's last match of the World T20 after suffering a knee injury in Sunday's game against Pakistan.
Mortaza had been struggling with injuries in the lead-up to the World T20. In February, he picked up a side strain during an Asia Cup match against India and was ruled out for the rest of the tournament. He then suffered a rib injury in the opening match of the first round of the World T20, against Afghanistan.
Despite the injury, Mashrafe played five of the side's six matches so far, although he struggled for form. The bowler conceded 142 runs, taking three wickets at an average of 47.33. Against Pakistan on Sunday, Mashrafe gave away 63 runs in four overs without a wicket, his worst bowling performance in T20 internationals.
Mashrafe's injury will further hamper an already struggling Bangladesh side ahead of the match against Australia on April 1. Like Australia, Bangladesh have three losses in as many games but are placed last in Group 2 due to a poorer run rate.
Teams battle for last semi-final spot
Match facts
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
Start time 1930 local (13:30 GMT)
Start time 1930 local (13:30 GMT)
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Big Picture
It is a knockout scenario for both teams, with the winner going through to the semi-finals. They have the same number of wins (two) and points (four) but the defending champions West Indies enjoy a higher net run-rate, +1.223, against Pakistan's +0.893. In the event of a washout West Indies will go through on their higher net run-rate, but the forecast is for clear weather.
Pakistan batted first in their last three games but they are yet to be tested chasing a target. West Indies, on the contrary, have defended and chased targets in the group stage. Hence, the toss could be a decisive factor for Pakistan.
Both teams have quality spinners and are capable of posting big scores. Both lost their opening matches to India but bounced back strongly to register successive victories against Australia and Bangladesh. The contest on April 1 will be their first ever meeting in a World T20. They have played just three T20s in two bilateral series since 2011, with Pakistan winning their last two encounters in 2013.
Big spin test for West Indies in must-win
This virtual quarter-final of the World T20 between Pakistan and West Indies has been expected for some time now. They are easily the two most exciting sides in this format. Their campaigns till now have panned out in similar fashion. Both went down to by the same margin of seven wickets to India in their opening games, both registered big wins over Bangladesh and finally, both narrowly overcame Australia in thrillers.
The Australia games provide pointers to how this contest could be determined. Glenn Maxwell seemed to have put Pakistan out of the game before they characteristically pounced on the opening his dismissal provided, their spinners kickstarting an Australian collapse from 126 for 2, and 146 for 3, to 175 all out. The West Indies batsmen came hard at Australia, then slowed down in the middle and seemed to have kept it for too late before their lower-middle order hitters swung them to a victory they celebrated wildly.
Australia stuck to a pace-heavy attack for most of the tournament, and it was one of the reasons they conceded big runs in almost every game. The last five overs of West Indies' chase were all bowled by quick bowlers, and the quickest of them, Mitchell Starc, was taken for 19 in the penultimate over by Darren Sammy.
It is no secret that West Indies' hitters like to have pace on the ball so that they can time those powerful swings. Pace will not come from Pakistan, except from Umar Gul, who himself is vastly experienced in this format and will not readily provide it at the wrong time. Barring Gul, there will be no pace at all. Instead, there will be Saeed Ajmal, Shahid Afridi, Mohammad Hafeez and Zulfiqar Babar. That means potentially 16 overs of spin in a 20-over innings.
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In all their games so far, West Indies have not found it easy to take on spin. They did make 170-plus against Bangladesh, but that was helped by a shambolic fielding effort from the hosts. Young Australia legspinner James Muirhead removed Chris Gayle with the first ball of his second over. India just squeezed West Indies right from the start, and never allowed them to build any momentum. It can be argued that many sides have found it difficult against slow bowlers in these conditions, but West Indies' self-admitted reliance on the big shots puts them at greater risk.
Suresh Raina had said West Indies preferred to hit sixes and did not rotate strike much, something he said India would target, and did. While West Indies hit more sixes against India than they did against Bangladesh, the Indians were able to cut off the fours. West Indies managed nine against them, compared to 18 against Australia and 17 against the hosts.
More to Herath than meets the eye
Mystery has ruled spin bowling in the Twenty20 age. Short-format slow bowlers are no longer measured by how far they can spin the ball, but in how many directions. As the Sunil Narines and Saeed Ajmals of the world leave batsmen groping open-mouthed in their wake, the likes of Ravichandran Ashwin wonder if they are not being too square. Orthodoxy still works, but this new stuff is dynamite.
To label Rangana Herath a throwback to cricket's black-and-white days would be glib. He was, after all, the modern progenitor of the carrom ball, even if his prototype version of the delivery would never compete with the sleek new models. There is, of course, a charming devotion to tradition in Herath's method; he is a zealous disciple of flight, a long-time servant of dip and spin. But to say there is more to Herath than meets the eye would not just be an ironic comment on his figure. The enigma of his success is as emphatic as the unknowns that shroud any doosra or flipper.
As Herath slammed the opposition top order into the turf in Chittagong, New Zealand's batsmen committed to more wrong lines than a drunk at a karaoke bar. The pitch took more turn than it had all tournament, but it was hardly spitting square. Slow bowlers would almost certainly have had more value for their revs up north in Mirpur, yet, there New Zealand's batsmen were, feeling for the ball, prodding like they could not pick the man who only spun it in one direction all night.
After the match, Herath was telling television presenters there was nothing more to his haul than "bowled the ball in the right place". It is the reply he always gives, but 217 Test wickets in, does anybody still believe it? Five wickets for three runs are not figures befitting a bowler who simply put the ball on a length. Positive batsmen, drenched in form, do not stall and scatter at the sight of such uninspiring diligence.
So what gives? In Tests, Herath's prey is lured gently. He bowls one from out wide, another in front of the stumps, flighting the first, darting the second, adding threads as he goes, before the batsman is strung up, suddenly, dead in the web. He cannot build an insidious narrative in four T20 overs, but in Chittagong, he had condensed that mode of attack, and therein found the means to make fools of New Zealand's two most experienced batsmen.
He flighted one up to Brendon McCullum's off stump to show him the appreciable turn first, then angled a slower one on the pads. McCullum dared not hit against the spin so early, especially if Herath had ripped it in. Another flighted, turning ball on off stump, then a dart - the first one - on the pads. The ensuing appeal was correctly turned down, but having delivered four dot balls now, Herath knew McCullum's next move long before the batsman made it. He floated one up wide of the stumps, as McCullum charged out. The ball dived and turned to beat the blade.
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Ross Taylor, arguably the better player of spin, was outmanoeuvred even more forcefully. From the first two balls, Herath determined Taylor could not pick which one would turn and which would slide on, so he alternated between them, raising two appeals in the first four balls, before nailing him with the fifth. Herath was a step ahead as he beat both batsmen, first in the mind, then off the surface. That he is accurate and artful is plain, but as batsmen trudge off, they know he is good, but few understand exactly why or how. New Zealand's top order have known the feeling before.
"In the past Rangana aiya had dismissed their top order batsmen," Lasith Malinga said after the match. "Brendon McCullum and Ross Taylor struggle against him. I had hoped to get him into the attack as soon as possible. He was successful and my decision was too."
Malinga may simply have been committing to the ruse with that statement, for although he is the captain on the team sheet, he was not the man who set Herath's fields. Mahela Jayawardene had Sri Lanka's reins, and no matter who walks out for the toss on Thursday, they would be wise not to relieve him of them.
New Zealand blindsided as spin takes hold
When Brendon McCullum skipped towards Rangana Herath and aimed a scything blow down the ground, it carried the intent of a team's star player embossing his mark on the game. What followed certainly set the tone. Unfortunately for New Zealand, it was Herath who turned out to be the match-winner.
Herath had already executed a run-out off his own bowling when McCullum arrived at the crease. New Zealand's captain defended a couple before Herath's fifth delivery went on with the arm to strike the pad, resulting in an excited lbw appeal. The next was tossed up and this time it dipped, gripped and slipped past McCullum's outside edge, leaving him short of his ground. New Zealand had been struck a blow they would not recover from.
In Herath's following over, still having not conceded a run, three consecutive deliveries thudded into Ross Taylor's pad, the last of which no umpire could deny. With a short leg and a slip in place, his next ball insinuated its way through a befuddled Jimmy Neesham and New Zealand were four down, pinned likes flies on a windshield by the dawning realisation that this was the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury pitch, Jim, but not as we know it.
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Two tracks have been in rotation in Chittagong, with four matchdays apiece. The pace and bounce had encouraged McCullum to suggest New Zealand, South Africa and England would prefer the conditions, particularly in the evening when dew helped the ball zip on. Sri Lanka were spectacularly burned by England and Alex Hales on Thursday but, after two weeks of competition, the ground suddenly shifted under New Zealand's feet. Their misfortune, perhaps, was to face a must-win game on a worn pitch against the only subcontinental side in the group.
McCullum certainly felt a little blindsided, though he stressed that the better team on the night had won. Winning the toss and then bowling out Sri Lanka for 119 seemed to have given New Zealand a brightly lit path to the semi-finals but the ball held up a lot more than previously, while the absence of dew meant Sri Lanka's spinners were not handicapped in the same way they were against England.
Unbelieveable Average
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Related Links
Report : Herath spins New Zealand out of WT20 with 5 for 3
Players/Officials: Rangana Herath
Series/Tournaments: World T20
Teams: New Zealand | Sri Lanka
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- Rangana Herath's magnificent figures of 5 for 3 are the third best in T20 internationals. The top two also belong to Sri Lanka - Ajantha Mendis took 6 for 8against Zimbabwe in the last World T20 and 6 for 16against Australia in 2011. Before this game, Herath had played only six T20Is and taken six wickets at an average of 20.16 and an economy of 6.72.
- Herath's five wickets cost him only three runs, an average of 0.60 apiece - the fourth best average for a five-wicket haul in international cricket and the best in T20 internationals. Across formats, the best average for a five-wicket haul belongs to Courtney Walsh who gave away just one run against Sri Lanka.
- Kane Williamson was the lone New Zealand batsman standing amid the mayhem, scoring 42 out the total of 60 - his 70% was the highest percentage contribution to a team's total in a T20I. The record was previously held by David Warner, who scored 90 out of Australia's 137 - 65.70% - also against Sri Lanka at the SCG in 2013. Charles Bannerman and Viv Richards hold the record for the highest percentage of runs in a completed innings in Tests and ODIs.
- New Zealand's 60 is their lowest total in T20Is. Their previous lowest was 80 against Pakistan in 2010.
- New Zealand's 59-run defeat is their third worst by margin of runs. For Sri Lanka, it is their fourth highest margin of victory. They hold the record for the biggest win in terms of runs - 172 against Kenya in the first World T20.
- The 59-run win is the highest margin for a team that set a target of 120 or less. The previous highest margin was Scotland's 35 runs over Kenya in Aberdeen last year. Scotland had scored 113 and dismissed Kenya for 78 runs.
Herath flummoxes Taylor
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The head-shake strike-rate
Having made a brisk start, Kusal Perera's shock at wrongly being given out caught down the leg side for the second time in as many matches was expressed with a bout of furious head-shaking that almost outstripped his rate of scoring. From the moment the umpire's finger was raised, until he exited the field, it almost seemed as if Kusal was watching two tennis players at the net. What's more, it was infectious. Incoming batsman Mahela Jayawardene approached the square in visible disbelief as well.
The win some, lose some moment
Strength becoming a weakness. Tillakaratne Dilshan scored his first boundary with a scoop off Kyle Mills, but in the next over from Trent Boult he tried to reverse scoop the left-armer over slip and only succeeded in providing a catch to Luke Ronchi.
The useful overthrow
There is never really a good outcome to conceding free runs in T20 - a format that can be decided by the narrowest margins - but when Brendon McCullum had a slightly unnecessary shy at the non-striker's stumps, lulled into by the batsman teasing to leave his ground, and the resulting deflection gave away a single, there was a silver lining for New Zealand. Next delivery, Nuwan Kulasekara drove on the up and picked out Brendon's brother, Nathan, at short cover to leave Sri Lanka 93 for 7.
The not out, then out
All of Rangana Herath's overs were special - in what would become one of the great T20 spells - but in his second he made Ross Taylor, a very fine player of spin, look clueless. The third ball of the over slid on past the inside and took the pad to short leg (the loud appeal correctly turned down) then the next delivery turned considerably, squared up Taylor and struck him on the back leg. Rod Tucker, again, declined the appeal and this time Sri Lanka were harshly done by as off stump would have been hit flush on. At their third time of asking, however, Sri Lanka got the response they wanted when Taylor was again beaten, this time by one that skidded, and Tucker's finger went up.
The dislocation
When Corey Anderson failed to hold Sachithra Senanayake's mow down the ground in the 18th over it was a double blow for New Zealand. Not only did it concede six, but Anderson immediately left the field clutching his right hand and was soon on his way to hospital for treatment for a dislocation. It meant he was not available for New Zealand's innings, but given the margin of defeat it may not have made a difference to the result.
Herath spins New Zealand out of WT20 with 5 for 3
Sri Lanka 119 (Boult 3-20) beat New Zealand 60 (Williamson 42, Herath 5-3) by 59 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Rangana Herath sprung from Sri Lanka's dugout, watched his team-mates collapse, then crafted a Twenty20 spell of astounding quality to slam New Zealand into a wall, claiming five wickets for three runs as Sri Lanka defended 119 and made the semi-finals. He arrived at the bowling crease in the third over, delivered a wicket maiden first up, and had three scalps before New Zealand scored a run off him. By the end of his three-over spell, New Zealand were 30 for 5 - effectively 6, as a dislocated finger prevented Corey Anderson from batting. Kane Williamson batted gamely, hitting 42 off 43 - the game's top score - but he could not overcome the carnage at the other end.
The dew Brendon McCullum had expected at the toss in this must-win game did not materialise, and though an attack led by Trent Boult justified his decision to chase, his batsmen were stunned to a stall in the Powerplay. They managed 60 for 9 in 15.3 overs, as Sachithra Senanayake and poor running contributed the remaining wickets.
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One of those run-outs would provide Sri Lanka and Herath the opening they had been desperate for, with at least 30 runs too few on the board. Martin Guptill pushed a full Herath delivery gently towards mid -on, and though he set off for the single immediately, Williamson did not respond. Herath collected, turned and threw smartly to complete that first wicket, but it would be his next 11 balls that truly defined the match.
Brendon McCullum was kept scoreless for four balls before Herath tossed one up slow and wide, reading McCullum's advance, before he spun Ross Taylor in his web next over. Taylor survived a plumb lbw shout, but was out to a straighter one immediately. James Neesham played all around one that straightened, and when Luke Ronchi was trapped in front by another straightening ball next over, New Zealand had been knocked breathless.
Crucially, the top-order collapse had been dramatic enough to subdue New Zealand's typically-ebullient middle order. Nathan McCullum hit two runs from his first eight balls before clipping Senanayake straight to short midwicket, before Senanayake trapped Kyle Mills in front with one that replays suggested would head down leg.
The required rate had spiked higher than 12 when Herath returned for his final over, and the wicket that sealed the victory came in fitting fashion. Herath not only completed his five-wicket-haul when Trent Boult hit one to slip, the catch was also gobbled by Mahela Jayawardene, who despite what the teamsheet stated, was Sri Lanka's captain on the night. He had kept a short leg and slip to the spinners, after Brendon McCullum had been similarly aggressive with his fields in the first innings.
NZ targeting 'complete performance' - Williamson
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Kane Williamson has said that New Zealand would target a "complete performance" for the first time in the tournament as they attempt to secure a World T20 semi-final spot by beating Sri Lanka on Monday.
Brendon McCullum's side have won two of their three games but could have made their position even stronger if they had managed to put away South Africa when they needed seven runs off the final over with five wickets in hand. Williamson was far from bullish about New Zealand's chances of beating the No. 2-ranked side but said he hoped the team would play to their considerable potential in what is effectively a quarter-final.
"The nature of T20 is there's a lot of things you can't control and it one or two players step up, then we can beat anyone and we certainly have the players to do that," Williamson said. "We'll be going into the game with confidence and we have personnel to win this game. We know Sri Lanka have a very good side and have been playing good cricket throughout the group stage.
"We're yet to put together the complete performance that we know we're capable of, so if we can keep working on what we have been doing it would be nice to put it together tomorrow."
Dew may define sudden-death match
Match facts
Monday, March 31, 2014Start time 7.30pm local (1330 GMT)
Big Picture
Widely tipped to be the sides to progress from the ''easy'' group, Sri Lanka and New Zealand find they must win their final group match or be eliminated. Things have not so far panned out as either had hoped. England are the top-eight team Sri Lanka might have been most comfortable of beating, but they were undone by thebest innings of the tournament so far, while New Zealand were victims of one of Twenty20 cricket's most aggressive final overs, from Dale Steyn. Pitches in Chittagong have not been as slow and low as anticipated, and on occasion, both teams have had their team compositions wrong as well.
Both teams now have a clearer grip on their strategy. New Zealand added seam-bowling cover by introducing James Neesham to their XI, and replaced the out-of-sorts Tim Southee with the dependable Trent Boult. Sri Lanka, meanwhile, will absurdly have had their XI boosted by their captain's suspension. Lahiru Thirimanne is most likely to replace Dinesh Chandimal in the middle order.
On most occasions, New Zealand's ability to blunt Sri Lanka's spinners might shape as a key encounter, but evening games in Chittagong have been unkind to slow bowlers. Sri Lanka rifled through five balls in their last match, as Hales and Eoin Morgan pillaged their way through the middle overs. Sachithra Senanayake has not been a penetrative weapon in any case - though Sri Lanka are likely to leave out Ajantha Mendis for Rangana Herath, whose bowling is less sensitive to the conditions. The forecast suggests dew may indeed materialise on Monday night.
New Zealand will be encouraged to have their top order purring after only two full matches in the tournament. Kane Williamson, Brendon McCullum and Ross Taylor have all made commanding fifties, and though Sri Lanka's top four has also been among the runs, they have made them in far less convincing fashion.
Form guide
(last five matches, most recent first)Sri Lanka LWWWW
New Zealand WLWWW
In the spotlight
Lasith Malinga suggested before the match that captaincy should not be too much of a burden, and he might be right. There are three former captains and a current one in the XI. Even when Chandimal was at the helm, many decisions were formed by committee. Where Malinga may feel a little extra pinch is when it comes to taking wickets. Teams have blocked him out safely so far in the tournament, subduing his penetrative potential in return for 10 or so fewer runs from his four overs. He has reclaimed something of his old form in the past two months, but will now hope for a truly matchwinning performance to send his side into the knockouts.
New Zealand ask a lot from Kane Williamson, given his relative youth. He has been shoved up the order to open in this tournament, and though he may still feel more comfortable in the middle overs, he has been steady in his new role. Though not conventionally thought of as one of New Zealand's matchwinners, Williamson is perhaps New Zealand's best player of spin - particularly in Asia. If Sri Lanka's slow-bowlers can make an impact in the match, a well-set Williamson may be best-placed to counter it.
Pitch and conditions
The Chittagong square has seemingly dried out during the tournament's course, but it is yet to match Mirpur for turn. Skies are expected to remain clear for the match, which of course increases the likelihood of dew forming.
Teams news
There is a chance legspinning-allrounder Seekkuge Prasanna may replace Ajantha Mendis instead of Herath, but Sri Lanka are likely to go with Herath - the steadier hand.
Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 2 Kusal Perera, 3 Mahela Jayawardene, 4 Kumar Sangakkara (wk), 5 Lahiru Thirimanne, 6 Angelo Mathews, 7 Thisara Perera, 8 Nuwan Kulasekara, 9 Sachithra Senanayake, 10 Lasith Malinga (capt), 11 Rangana Herath
New Zealand have no cause to change their combination following a comfortable win over Netherlands.
New Zealand (probable): 1 Kane Williamson, 2 Martin Guptill, 3 Brendon McCullum (capt.), 4 Ross Taylor, 5 James Neesham, 6 Corey Anderson, 7 Luke Ronchi (wk), 8 Nathan McCullum, 9 Trent Boult, 10 Kyle Mills, 11 Mitchell McClenaghan
Stats and trivia
- Sri Lanka's net run rate is 2.124 higher than South Africa's which means, Sri Lanka will likely top the group if they win
- Brendon McCullum became the first man to 2000 T20 runs against Netherlands. The next-highest runscorer, Mahela Jayawardene, sits 600 runs adrift
- Tillakaratne Dilshan's strike rate is 112 in 12 innings since the start of 2013
No excuses for Sri Lanka - Malinga
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Related Links
News : Chandimal suspended for one match
Players/Officials: Lasith Malinga
Series/Tournaments: World T20
Teams: New Zealand | Sri Lanka
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A spot in the semi-finals of the World T20 could well be heavily weighted on the toss of a coin when Sri Lanka take on New Zealand for one remaining spot in Group 1, but stand-in captain Lasith Malinga will refuse to use a wet ball and damp outfield as an excuse and believes his side are better prepared after coming unstuck against England.
Sri Lanka could not defend 189 as Alex Hales clubbed an unbeaten 116, the expensive performance of Ajantha Mendis, who conceded 52 off his four overs, proving especially telling and the spinner may pay the price for the crunch game. Malinga was also less effective than is so often the case, going wicketless and at almost eight an over during his four overs.
"When we play night games we must know to use those conditions. We can't give excuses against a wet ball and things like that. That's my feeling as a bowler," he said. "In the bowling sometimes we are on top but in the last few overs against England we didn't do very well."
"Now it's in the past and we are looking forward to the next match. We had a good training session yesterday and today and we know how to adjust to situations like dew and when the ball becomes slippery. We are all prepared."
Malinga, the team's T20 vice-captain since October 2012, said that he was under no extra pressure leading his country for the first time even though so much was at stake. He has been forced into this position after Dinesh Chandimal was suspended for one match for his team being penalised twice for slow over rate within a 12-month period.
"It's a good feeling to captain my country for the first time. I really like to get challenged in my bowling or in my career," he said. "This is a good opportunity for me. The other thing this is it is a crucial game and I am not thinking too much about the captaincy but to just to give 100% and win the match tomorrow.
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